


What Child Is This?

by BarbaraKaterina



Series: 2020 Holiday Fics [5]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Asgardian Tony Stark, Christmas, Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:15:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28313649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarbaraKaterina/pseuds/BarbaraKaterina
Summary: Loki is at Midgard with Thor and Anthony, celebrating Yule, when he senses something momentous happening half the world away. Of course he has to go and investigate, and of course Anthony goes with him!
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Series: 2020 Holiday Fics [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043775
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	What Child Is This?

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas!
> 
> I've been neglecting Frostiron a lot this year, being swallowed by different fandoms, but I have not forgotten it!

“Something is happening,” Loki repeated impatiently for the upteemth time, glaring at Thor and trying to get him to rise from his seat at the fire.

Thor only laughed. Again. “Yes, little brother, something _is_ happening!” He said, in a voice that boomed even more than usual given the amount of mead he had drunk.”The Midgardians are celebrating Yule. I’m not getting dragged away from that for whatever little mystery you’ve managed to invent.” He caressed the backside of the woman in his arms to emphasize his point and Loki turned away in disgust.

He wished he had more convincing arguments, but sadly, he didn’t really know what was going on. Just that something was, and that it was happening to the south-east. Perhaps if he was closer, he would be able to tell more, but for now, this was all his magic gave him, that and the knowledge that the event was truly momentous.

Loki did not want to miss it for anything, and was just considering making the journey on his own when Anthony appeared by his side.

“So,” he said with his usual cheerful grin, “do we set out on horseback, or do I have to brace myself for teleportation?”

Loki fought the urge to beam at the man. He was the second prince, and it would be unbecoming of him to beam at anyone, no matter how often Anthony made him want to. “It is too far for horses,” he said simply, and Anthony gave a resigned nod and extended his arm for Loki to take.

Loki first took them to the furthest point southeast that he had ever been before. He had found it by following trade routes some years ago, and he liked it. It was a busy city with many diverse peoples and enough political intrigue to entertain him for decades, if he ever got too bored in Asgard. Anthony looked at the architecture with some interest, as Loki tried to figure out how to continue.He still sensed their goal to the east, and in the end, he decided that there was little choice left to them but ‘hopping’, an undignified method he despised and was extremely uncomfortable. But he could not teleport to a place he knew nothing about, and the Midgardians did not have any technology to display far-away places as far as he knew, so with a heavy sigh he took Anthony’s arm again, levitated them high into the air and teleported towards south-eastern horizon, where they levitated for a moment to get their bearings, and then teleported again in the same direction.

It took them about five jumps to get to the sea, where Anthony asked for a short break and they managed to haggle for some wine and food with the locals. It was warm here, even warmer than in the city, warm enough that it was impossible to tell it was supposed to be the coldest part of the year now. Loki wondered if they celebrated Yule at all in any way in these lands, if the seasons had to matter so little to them.

Once they ate and drunk enough to be content, but not enough to risk emptying their stomachs after teleporting, Loki levitated them into the air again, and they were across the sea in another three jumps, but met it again in two more. Anthony, groaning a little, gave Loki a tired look. “Are we there yet?” he asked.

“Patience, my dear Anthony,” Loki said with a grin. “We are about halfway through.”

Anthony’s groan was much louder this time, and he requested some more wine and sustenance. Night was falling slowly by now, but people were still wide awake in the village they found, and they gladly parted with some bread and oil for the Asgardians to replenish their strength in exchange for gold.

The next leg of the journey was interesting, as it was across a sea littered with islands, and as long as it was bright enough to see them underneath, Anthony wanted to descend lower and see them up close, especially once he realized many of them contained architecture nearly as grand as that they’d seen in the city.

“Really, my prince, this is such an interesting part of Midgard,” he said. “Why do we always stick to that one area?”

“It’s Thor’s favourite,” Loki answered sourly, and Anthony grimaced in response. That cheered Loki up a little, but he still wanted to stop thinking of Thor and discover what was going on in the east instead.

It was roughly when they reached the end of the island area that Loki first saw the shooting star.

“There,” he said with certainty. “That is where we need to go.”

They found their own refreshment this time, some fruit hanging on trees, and it took them eight more jumps to reach the source of what Loki felt.

It was a small town, dirty and run down. It didn’t look like anything momentous could be happening there, but Loki didn’t doubt they were in the right palace. The star now seemed to almost hang over their heads, in a manner that was decidedly unnatural.

Loki half followed what his magic was telling him and half the star as he headed to the edges of the town, to...was that a pigsty? Something like that, anyway, and inside they found an ox, an ass, and a human couple.

Well, that was decidedly underwhelming.

Then he heard a wail, and realized there was a tiny child in the woman’s arms. He absently covered them both with invisibility and came closer, only to realize that the infant was in fact a newborn.

Very much a newborn.

Born hours ago at most.

In fact, his birth would coincide very well with the appearance of the star.

He suddenly regarded the child with much more suspicion.

This close to it his magic was almost screaming at him, loud enough that it was hard to distinguish what exactly it was saying, and he cursed himself for not stopping to examine it properly sooner. It had been too far away back in Borseland, and now it was too near.

Still, now that he knew what he was looking for, it wasn’t an impossible task, and after a moment, he managed to distinguish the way that fate twisted around the baby in a whirlpool.

He was still trying to get over the shock of it when Anthony tugged at his sleeve. Loki obligingly waved a hand to cover them in a silencing spell, and once it was safe, Anthony said, sounding a little exasperated: “Is that it? Loki, no offence, but I kinda expected more than a baby.”

“That baby,” Loki replied, still dazed, “has more of destiny hanging on him than Thor ever had. In fact...I think perhaps the entire royal family of Asgard would have to come together to have a hope of matching that. I have never before seen a child so mired in fate.”

“Oh.” Anthony peered at the child. “Poor kid.”

Loki blinked. Anthony had a point, he supposed - such things rarely led to happy lives - but still, Loki couldn’t help to feel jealous on some level. Surely a figure like that would be monumental in history?

He didn't say anything aloud, and after a moment, Anthony brightened. “Hey,” he said, “we can be its patrons and well-wishers!”

Loki hesitated. It would be much safer not to meddle, he knew, but at the same time, the idea of being involved in any way with this child of destiny was attractive. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, they seem really poor,” Anthony pointed out. “Let's get them gifts!”

Loki considered. He could of course magic up many useful objects for such a family, but how to bring them without arousing any suspicion of the people he wished to help?

He got an idea after a moment, and grinned. “Anthony,” he said, “how would you like to play dress up?”

When they set out back for Norseland a few hours later, it was only after taking turns in visiting the bewildered little family in many different local disguises, bringing them all kinds of useful gifts people like that might need. Loki had not had such fun with shapeshifting and illusions in a long time.

“Hey,” Anthony said, tugging at his hand as they headed out of the city. “Could we stop for a while at some of the places we’ve gone through before? Take a break in the warmth before we go back to Thor?” He hesitated. “I...liked taking this little holiday with you,” he confessed, and really, Loki thought, the day could not have gone more perfect. Whoever that child of fate was, Loki felt he really owed them a debt.

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, I'm ignoring the MCU-given years of birth for Loki and Thor in this fic. They’re extremely stupid, so it gives me no pain at all. I mean, how the hell are Loki and Thor supposed to be younger than Norse religion?


End file.
